“What do you think?” He Zhen considered Boss Xu’s proposal to be quite good. The Xu family, after all, was a well-established name. By leveraging their reputation, she could avoid many potential issues in the early stages and wouldn’t need to find a storefront. However, she still needed to consult the deity’s opinion.

Gu Xingzhao, instead of giving a direct answer, asked her, “What do you think?”

He Zhen was slightly taken aback. Was the deity asking for her opinion?

Realizing this, she felt both nervous and excited. Gathering her courage, she expressed her thoughts, “I believe that while the people of the capital are now aware of fireworks, they still might be hesitant to trust something so new. If we can leverage the Xu family’s influence, it could save us a lot of trouble, and we wouldn’t need to worry about other businesses coveting our success.”

“We would be using the Xu family’s influence, and in return, the Xu family hopes to use our fireworks to regain their standing in the capital. As long as we keep the fireworks formula a secret, it’s a win-win situation.”

Gu Xingzhao chuckled softly. He Zhen’s insight confirmed to her that she had chosen the right person.

“Then proceed as you see fit. Since I’ve entrusted this matter to you, everything will be done according to your plans. As for the profits, keep thirty percent for yourself, use forty percent for the business, and the remaining thirty percent should be delivered to that empty house every seven days. No banknotes—convert it all to silver, gold, or valuable items like jewelry and paintings.”

Although He Zhen had her doubts, she didn’t question him and agreed to the plan.

Gu Xingzhao placed a self-defense stun pen on the table. “This is for you.”

He Zhen carefully picked up the small cylindrical pen, turning it over in her hands, unable to figure out what it was.

Gu Xingzhao explained, “If you’re ever in danger, remove the cap, press the black button, and use it on someone. It will release an electric shock to protect you.”

Hearing the words “electric shock,” He Zhen nearly dropped the pen in fright. She clutched it tightly, her hands trembling. “Electric shock?”

Had she heard correctly? Was the deity talking about the lightning from the heavens?

Even though she was in the capital, she had often heard her husband talk about the Lu family’s deity striking people down with lightning.

Seeing how frightened she was, Gu Xingzhao cleared his throat. “It’s fine, really. It’ll just knock them out—won’t kill anyone.”

He Zhen let out a sigh of relief. As long as it wouldn’t kill anyone, she could handle it.

Gu Xingzhao added, “Just don’t hold the shock for too long.”

He Zhen hesitated, feeling the pen suddenly become much hotter in her hand.

Seeing her reaction, Gu Xingzhao couldn’t help but smile. “Why don’t you practice on this table first?”

They say possessing a treasure can bring trouble. She was concerned that someone might try to harm He Zhen. Since He Zhen wasn’t on the Lu family’s register, if something happened to her, Gu Xingzhao might not be able to intervene in time. It was better for He Zhen to have something to protect herself.

Knowing it was for her own safety, He Zhen didn’t refuse. Following Gu Xingzhao’s instructions, she removed the cap, grasped the lower part of the pen, and gently pressed the black button.

The next moment, a buzzing sound filled the room, and a blue-purple light, like lightning, sparked from the pen’s tip.

She immediately touched the table with the glowing end, then quickly pulled back. Even though it was just a table, her heart raced.

This feeling was entirely different from setting off fireworks.

Gu Xingzhao was very pleased. “Just like that. Practice a few more times and remember not to touch the glowing tip yourself. If you’re ever in danger, use it without hesitation. I’ve got your back, so don’t worry about shocking someone too hard.”

He Zhen’s tension eased considerably. The deity’s words always made her feel safe.

Meanwhile, in the imperial palace, a spy was reporting to Emperor Jin about the previous night. The Xu family’s fireworks had caused a citywide sensation, with people believing it was a sign from the gods.

The eunuch who had just returned from delivering the plaque to the Xu family was also reporting, “Your Majesty, the Xu family claims the fireworks were something they stumbled upon by chance. It seems they intend to keep it to themselves.”

Emperor Jin sneered. It seemed that anything remotely connected to the Lu family was automatically linked to the divine in the eyes of the people.

By now, Luo You should have caught up with the Lu family. Soon, news of the exile party’s demise would reach the capital.

“Keep a close watch on the Xu family. I want to see what they can pull off without the Lu family.”

Divine intervention? It was nothing but sleight of hand. Did the Su King really think he could challenge the emperor with mere rumors? How ridiculous.

Later that afternoon, Gu Xingzhao went out with the jade porcelain vase. When she arrived at the antique shop, she found only the clerk she had seen before.

Gu Xingzhao had visited often enough by now, combined with Xu Shisan’s attentiveness, most of the shop’s staff recognized her.

Today, she wasn’t just there to pawn the jade porcelain vase—she also wanted to ask Xu Shisan about some ancestral matters. Not seeing him, she asked the clerk, “Isn’t your boss here?”

The clerk was surprised that Gu Xingzhao had asked for the young boss specifically. He perked up and immediately pulled out his phone, rapidly typing out a message: Boss, time to get to work!

Xu Shisan, who was at the end of the street playing video games in a milk tea shop with a girl, glanced at the message and swiped it away.

Work? What could be more important than gaming?

The clerk quickly followed up: Miss Gu is here! She asked for you!

The words “Miss Gu” seemed to jolt Xu Shisan to life. He leaped from his chair, abandoning his game, and without a second thought, sprinted back to the shop, leaving the girl behind.

The clerk, still waiting for a reply, assumed the boss was too engrossed in his game to notice.

“Miss Gu, would you like to take out your item now? I can take a look for you.”

Gu Xingzhao nodded. “Sure.”

She had just placed the jade porcelain vase on the table when she heard Xu Shisan’s voice from behind, dripping with cheekiness, “Sister, short on cash again?”

Xu Shisan stood leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, slightly out of breath, with a playful smirk. When Gu Xingzhao turned to look at him, he winked at her, throwing in a flirtatious glance.

Gu Xingzhao nearly rolled her eyes.

The speed with which Xu Shisan had arrived stunned the clerk. Miss Gu was certainly attractive, but she supposedly had a daughter. And hadn’t many other beautiful women come through the shop before? What made this one so special to the boss?

He was seriously curious and wouldn’t mind getting some tips—maybe it could save him twenty years of hard work.

By now, Xu Shisan had caught his breath and walked into the shop, ignoring the jade porcelain vase entirely. He went straight to Gu Xingzhao and asked, “So, how much do you need?”

He figured they would end up at this point anyway, so why bother haggling?

The clerk, who was heading to change the water, nearly tripped over himself at the question.

No dignity, none at all! The boss was acting like an ATM machine!

Gu Xingzhao hesitated for a moment. “You’ll give me whatever I ask for?”

“Of course.” Xu Shisan raised an eyebrow, signaling her to name her price—whatever it was, he could afford it.

In that moment, Gu Xingzhao started to find Xu Shisan a bit handsome. Not only was he not sleazy, but there was something charming about him—the allure of wealth was irresistible.